The Jeffrey A. Altman Foundation has pledged $8.3 million to Tulane University to establish a new dual-degree program in business and international studies. Similar programs are available at only a handful of select universities nationwide. The first cohort of Altman scholars will enter the program in Fall 2012. 

“In an increasingly global business environment, international study is a must. There are very few business programs in the entire country that offer a dual degree with an international component such as this,” says Jeffrey Altman, a 1988 graduate of Tulane who is the founder and managing partner of Owl Creek Asset Management and founder and director of the Jeffrey A. Altman Foundation. “After the incredibly rewarding experiences I had as a student at Tulane, I feel fortunate to help the university develop this four-year program.”

The new dual degree will require students to complete coursework in Tulane's A. B. Freeman School of Business and its School of Liberal Arts. “This combination of disciplines with an emphasis on the understanding of foreign cultures is crucial to preparing students to excel in today's global economy,” says Altman.

Tulane President Scott Cowen says, “If I were an undergraduate now this is the course of study I would pursue. With an ever-increasing amount of economic growth coming from outside the United States, this is the best way to prepare students for the future. This is definitely a program for the 21st century, and we are most grateful to the Altman Foundation for making Tulane one of only a handful of universities in the country to offer such a unique undergraduate program.”

Completing the Jeffrey A. Altman Program in International Studies and Business will require students to pursue a rigorous curriculum that includes courses in business, foreign language and culture, along with a year of study abroad. Graduates will earn two degrees, one in business and another in a liberal arts discipline.

Students will begin enrolling in the program in the fall 2012 semester.